The present invention relates to an arrangement for ventilation of a cot, cradle, carrycot or perambulator carrycot, comprising a substantially flat bottom, closed sides extending vertically upwards from the bottom and a substantially open top, and also a head end and a foot end, in accordance with the preamble in claim 1, and a mattress for the same, in accordance with the preamble of claim 6.
The point of departure for the present invention is the many tragic deaths of infants that occur each year, and which as a rule are described as cot deaths.
The causes of cot death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - SIDS) have been discussed and researched for quite a long time, and even though this phenomenon is still being researched, the majority of researchers are now agreed that at least a part of the cause is the increased concentration of CO2 in the infant""s inhaled air. It is a matter of common knowledge that infants have quite a small lung capacity and a less than fully developed respiratory system. Infants will therefore tolerate inspiration of inhaled air with a high CO2 concentration to a far lesser extent than older children and adults.
Statistics show that there is a greater frequency of cots deaths in Norway than in comparable countries. As a basis for this invention, special consideration has been given to what is particularly distinctive about the way Norwegian infants are placed when put to bed. The distinguishing features have been found to include that in Norway relatively high sides are used on cots, perambulators etc. and that there is a clear tendency, in part because of the cold climate, to use thick quilts, which as a rule are packed tightly around the infant. This means that the air volume available in the immediate vicinity of the infant""s head is relatively small. When the infant respires in this air volume, if there is otherwise very little air circulation, an ever-increasing concentration of CO2 will build up therein.
It is a matter of common knowledge that CO2 is heavier than both oxygen and nitrogen, and the CO2 concentration will therefore be higher close to the mattress than at a more elevated level in the cot or carrycot. In particular when a baby lies on his stomach, his mouth and nose will be at a very small distance from the mattress, and he will inhale air having a higher CO2 concentration than if he had, for example, been lying on his back.
Since it has become known that lying on the stomach might have a connection with cot death, more and more parents have started to put their baby to bed lying on his side or back. This has led to a clear reduction in the number of cot deaths. However, lying on the stomach does have its advantages. The baby feels more secure, since he will constantly have xe2x80x9cfacial contactxe2x80x9d with a soft underlying surface, in contrast to the insecure feeling some babies have when they lie on their back without anything to place their cheeks on. Furthermore, babies have on occasion been known to regurgitate milk or to vomit whilst lying in their cot or perambulator. If the infant is lying on his back, it will be difficult for the regurgitated matter or vomit to run out of his mouth, and it may run back into his throat and obstruct the airway. At worst, this may result in choking. In addition, there are also some babies who cannot settle unless they are put down on their stomach.
It is true that on the market today there are already cots with barred sides which, of course, have an opening between each bar. However, these openings are disposed around all sides of the cot, and this provides air exchange across the whole cot. In any case, the purpose of the openings between each bar has not been to remove CO2 from the area around the infant""s head, but to allow the infant to see out through the side walls of the cot. Insofar as carrycots or perambulator carrycots are concerned, these are basically constructed with closed side walls. One exception is disclosed in FR 2,460,651, which makes known a carrycot having large openings in the side. However, between the lower edge of the openings and the mattress there is a sill which effectively prevents the escape of CO2. There are also cots or carrycots which are equipped with a hole in the bottom, but the purpose of these holes is to transport moisture from the mattress. Virtually no movement of air takes place through these holes, since as a rule they will be blocked by a mattress. U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,104 teaches a rucksack-like carrier where again the air vents are not positioned to allow CO2 to escape.
One object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement in a cot, carrycot or perambulator carrycot which completely eliminates the risk of a build-up in the concentration of CO2 around the infant""s mouth and nose. This is achieved by the characterising features disclosed in claim 1. Another object of the invention is to provide a mattress in accordance with the characterising features disclosed in claim 6. According to a preferred embodiment, two opposite side walls or two opposite sides of the bottom are equipped with a ventilation aperture, so that the infant""s nose or mouth will be close to a ventilation aperture regardless of which side the infant is lying on.